Bioactive principles from Cordyceps sinensis: A potent food supplement – A review

Abstract

Extraction Health benefits A B S T R A C T Cordyceps sinensis (CS) is a well-known entamophagus fungus, naturally distributed in the Tibetan Plateau of Asia and Himalayas. Recently this synonym is transferred to Ophiocordyceps by both scientific and non-scientific communities. It is widely used as a tonic and medicinal food in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), as it possess wonderful health benefits. To support its functional attributes, various investigations have been carried out to find out its adaptogenic, aphrodisiac, anti-oxidant, anti-aging, neuroprotective, nootropic, immunomodulatory, anti-cancer and hepatoprotective role. Its fruiting portion as well as the larvae possesses potent bio-active fractions and their composition almost found to be similar in both. The bioactive principles are nucleosides, exo-polysaccharides, sterols and, proteins, among others. Among nucleosides, adenosine and cordycepin are the major biochemical markers. Further, different types of solvent extracts and their mixtures exhibit wide range of pharmacological activities, while the water and methanol extracts with the richest sources of nucleosides and polysaccharides also show wide range of pharmacological activities. This review gives a panoramic view of potential health benefits of various classes of bio-active fractions along with the need for sustainable management of CS for human wellness.

A metabolomics approach for authentication of Ophiocordyceps sinensis by liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry

“…However, only 3′-deoxyadenosine (namely, cordycepin), a pharmaceutically active component exhibiting multiple pharmacological actions, was reported to be abundant in CCH. Indeed, cordycepin was originally extracted from C. militaris (Shashidhar et al, 2013), and some studies have shown that large amounts of cordycepin can be found in C. militaris (Guo, Li, Huang, Liang, & Chen, 2006;Wang et al, 2013;Yang, Guan, & Li, 2007), while only trace amounts are present in DCXC, consistent with our current results. Thus, the present result indicated that if the content of cordycepin was abnormally high in the DCXC specimen, adulteration with CCH or C. militaris may have occurred, providing an effective quality control marker.…”

Properties of the Silkworm (Bombyx mori) Dongchunghacho, a Newly Developed Korean Medicinal Insect-borne Mushroom: Mass-production and Pharmacological Actions

“…[7,8,12,14,15,24,39,48,52,66,67,83,92,98,107,121,136,140,161,162,167,173,177,178,180,188,194,200,207,208,[210][211][212]. [164].…”

Determination and comparative analysis of 13 nucleosides and nucleobases in natural fruiting body of Ophiocordyceps sinensis and its substitutes

“…Sung, Hywel-Jones & Spatafora, the most famous and valuable species in the genus of Ophiocordyceps , has been used as herbal medicine in China for centuries. Pharmacological studies on O. sinensis have revealed that the fungus and its fruiting bodies exerted multiple biological and pharmacological effects, such as immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-ageing, antitumour, neuroprotective, hepatoprotective and renoprotective effects, and it has been applied to the treatment of kidney, liver and lung disease (Paterson 2008; Shashidhar et al 2013). Chemical studies on the natural fruiting bodies of Ophiocordyceps sinensis (NFOS) have shown the presence of various carbohydrates, nucleosides, cyclodepsipeptides, alkaloids, sterols, fatty acids, amino acids, vitamins, trace minerals and other components (Lo et al 2013; Zhao et al 2014).…”